Megan and the Report Card
by GinnyRueLover
Summary: Megan Wong got a bad grade... and she's going to get punished. Her parents and Gigi are all disappointed, but no one's as disappointed as her. She gets banned from designing!


My stomach growles as I walk home from the bus stop. It's a fine Friday afternoon and I just survived math class. The sun is shining. It's MLK day on Monday, so we have a three day weekend. Book Club meets tomorrow. Needless to say, I'm ecstatic.

I push open the front door. The breathtaking aroma engulfs me. I sniff gratefully. Mmm. Sugar cookies. Gigi bustles over, her face lighting up. "Hello, Megs. How was school?"

"Pretty good," I admit, stuffing my face with Gigi's amazing cookies. "I'm just happy it's sunny, book club's tomorrw, and I have... cookies!" Gigi chuckles.

"Where's Mom and Dad?" I ask finally. Gigi swallows a bite of a cookie and promptly answers,"Your father is at work, inventing some doohicky, and your mother is at a Riverkeepers Meeting."

I flip through a pile of papers on the counter. "Did my Flashlite come in?" I ask Gigi.

"I haven't gotten the mail yet. Why don't you tke a lovely walk down the driveway and get it for me?" she suggests sweetly.

I nod and shrug on a hoodie. I sprint down the winding driveway and grasp the thick evelopes. As I come back, I spill the contents of my hands onto the couch in the living room. I immedialy locate my magazine, and slip into the world of fashion.

When I've read it cover to cover, I sift through the pile if mail and find a thick envelope sitting in my hands. The address says

To Megan Rose Wong

From Alcott High School

I gulp and open it. The first thing I'm looking at are columns of words and letters. It's a report card.

Language Arts...B

Chemistry...B+

History...B-

Ceramics...A+

French...B+

Physical Education..C+

Alegbra...F

I blink and stare at the last letter. F? That's not right. But then I remember failing consecutive tests. Ugh. How could this happen? My parents are NOT going to be thrilled. I sigh and read the comments section.

Language Arts Teacher- Georgia Stevens. "Megan showed discipline and intrest while learning. She has a lot of potential."

Well, at least that comment is all right. It could be worse.

Chemistry Teacher- Robert Reeler. "Ms. Wong understands many concepts we learn about. However, I suggest she works on her kindness and attitude."

I guess that makes sense. After all, Mr. Reeler knows about Ms. Bates, my teacher from last year. I kind of ridiculed her on Fashonista Jane.

History Teacher- Dave Rubrielle. "Megan Wong has the ability to do better in my class, she just needs to apply herself."

Blech. I've heard that so many times before. I turn over the thick card and read the back.

Ceramics Teacher- Susanna White. "Megan is a role model for all my students. She is a gifted artist and an eager learner. I look forward to more exciting projects with her in the near future."

I feel my face glow with appreciation. That's the one grade I'm proud of. Well, Chemistry too. But I really like Mrs. White's comment.

French Teacher- Monique Taccuci. "Megan is a bright girl who loves the language, I only wish she tries harder."

She's right, French is something I excel at. I just need to do the work.

Physical Education Teacher- Lynnette Duhaim. "Megan doesn't believe in herself and doesn't believe she has the stregnth to do well in my class. That's not true; she just needs to understand Physical Training concepts."

Ugh. I absolutly hate P.E. Designers don't need to exercise to get a good job. I turn my attention to the Alegbra Comment.

Algebra Teacher- Diana Brasserd. "I suggest Megan gets a tutor; she needs to do better in Math."

My eyes sting and I stuff the dreaded card under a cushion.

LATER THAT NIGHT

It's dinnertime and I'm twirling spaghetti on my fork. Gigi, Dad, and Mom are discussing politics. There's a peacful silence as we all take bites. Then Mom speaks up. "Megan?"

"Huh?"

"I talked to Calliope Chadwick before I came home from work. Turns out Becca got all A's except for one B on her report card."

I nod. That's pretty good, for Becca.

"My point is... Where is your's, Megs?"

My stomach flips over and I hastily excuse myself. I feel around behind the couch, and... yes! There it is! I close my hand around it and run back to the kitchen. I quickly pass it off to Gigi, who reads my grades aloud.

When she hits the F, everything goes quiet. Mom turns the evil-witch-mother-eye-of-death on me.

"Megan Rose Wong, why in the name of Saint Elizabeth would you FLUNK a class?" She's furious.

"Uh," I stutter. "It's just because of a few tests!" I protest. "Just a few."

"And why didn't you study for those?" Dad prompts.

"Well... Um... I, yeah, kinda had to do something," I begin lamely. "I promised Jess a Wong Original for her Colonial Dance, and Emma wanted me to make her a new outfit for her interview about Stinkerbelle the Bad Fairy with Loomis and Sons. And Becca needed a dress for her date with Zach." Theo + Becca didn't last too long. I also have four more designs due to Flashlite in a week. But she doesn't need to know about that.

Mom glares stonily. "Well, you are grounded for a month, Megan Rose. I expect more of you."

I exhale softly. Thank goodness I can still design. "That was a close one," I murmur to myself.

"I beg your pardon?" Dad is raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"I said,'That was a close one'," I repeat in annoyance. "I'm just glad to design."

Gigi frowns and Mom clears her throat. I glance at her expectantly. 'Perhaps we were not clear," she continues. I brace myself for the worst.

"You are banned from designing."

It's snowing out. I glimpse out of the Chadwick's window. I'm at book club, where we are discussing the book we're reading, "Harry Potter". I'd be perfectly content if it weren't for the dark cloud looming over my head. I can't design. Why am I even still alive? What did I do in previous life to earn this punishment?

Mrs. Hawthorne wraps up conversation. As she gnaws on my mother's repulsive 'Seaweed Surprise' Mrs. Chadwick takes the reigns.

"How did your hockey match go, Cassidy?" she asks.

"Amazing!" Cassidy replies enthusiasticly. "We killed the Stonybrook Stallions, 4-1."

Comforting chatter blooms around me and I lean back against the sofa. I need to talk to someone about my dillemma. My four Flashlite designs are due in 5 days. FIVE DAYS! Even I can't whip up a dress in that time span.

Mom rises from the armchair she was perched on. "Sorry to leave, everyone," she apologizes. "I have a doctor's appointment. Megan, come on."

I hesitate. "But can I stay here, to help Becca on her project for the science fair?" I sneak a sly grin to Gigi. "I DID get a B+."

Mom opens her mouth to protest but Gigi cut her off. "Of course, Megs. Lil, she's doing school work, that's not against the grounding. Becca, I hope you do FABULOUS at the fair!"

She sounds like Wolfgang.

In a split second the room is buzzing with questions.

"Mom, I really want to stay."

Emma.

"Puh-lease Mom, I promise I'll change Chloe's diaper's for a MONTH."

Cassidy.

"Me too, please please PLEASE Mom, I really want to help Becca with the joys of decoding DNA!"

SO Jess.

So we all end up sprawled out on Becca's bedroom floor. Jess and Emma are doing the project, Becca and I are talking, and Cassidy is slapping around YoYo's toy ball with a hairbrush.

"Is that my Mason Pearson hairbrush?" Becca yelps as she realizes what Cassidy's doing. "It costs 90 bucks!''

"90 bucks?" Cassidy howls in disbelief. "For a BRUSH? I get mine at CVS for five!"

Becca sniffed delicatly. "You know nothing about fashion. And I doubt you even brush your hair."

"Well, Cassidy begins,"At least I spend my money on USEFUL things like hockey sticks instead of COSMETICS!"

I step in. "Stop, you guys!"

They fall silent.

I continue. "We're here to talk about me!"

"Nuh-uh," Jess counters. "We're here to help Becca with her homework."

Becca shoots her a look. "No," she says coldly. "Megan has a problem.''

She really gets me.

"A problem," Emma repeats.

I tell them everything. I tell them about the F and the grounding and the designs due in a week. "I mean, I haven't even started!"

Emma hands me a box of tissues because I've started crying.

After an awkward pause, Becca clears her throat. "But Megs, you've got to be able to finish the Flashlite designs. You might get kicked off the Flash magazine team if you don't!"

I sob harder. Jess glares at Becca.

Cassidy inspects her fingernails, determinitly not looking at my tears. "Then we have to just do it behind your mom's back."

I'm in the car, driving home from my freinds homes. Emma, Becca and Jess are in the back, and Cassidy called shotgun.

After Cassidy revealed the plan, we split up. Emma and Cass bought fabric from the Whole Nine Yards, and Jess and Becca researched some designs for me to work from, since I can't buy fabric or research designs. They all decided to model. Gigi's out with Eva, Dad's at work, and Mom's at a city council meeting. So we have the house all to ourselves.

To do whatever we want, like design and sneak friends over. But, HELLO people, these dresses don't design themselves! I have to break SOME rules!

I pull into the drivewway and shush my friends. I maneuver through the narrow slot between Mom's car and the grass and climb out. I beckon for my friends to follow me, and we go to the front door. I grab my key and twist the lock tightly.

Then I remember something.

Mom's car.

SHE'S HOME.

"Go!" I whisper franticaly. She'll see them any second! "Go somewhere! Hide! She's home!"

Cassidy dives into the shrubs. Emma run into the backyard. Becca disappears into the thick woods in either side of our front yard. Jess scrambles up a willow tree quickly.

Mom pulls open the door just in time. "Hi sweetie. How was the grocery store?"

Oh...I told my mom I was headed to the market instead of getting my friends. I shrug coolly, but on the inside I'm panicking. "Um... I forgot my money?"

"Don't you have a credit card?" What is this, Justice with Judge Lily? Why so curious?

But I bite my tounge and lie," I couldn't find the bread I wanted."

She leads me inside, tsking about kids these days are so picky. "So Mom, why are you not at the meeting?"

She sits in an armchair in the living room and opens her laptop. "Oh, Samantha Jae, mayor of Middlesex County, got a cold and couldn't make it."

"Aw," I try to sound sympithetic. "I'm gonna go upstaris now, 'kay?"

"Sure," she says distractedly, staring at her computer.

I run upstaires and text Emma," meet me basement. get bec, cass, and jess 2. There's a walk-out door there... I'll unlock it."

A moment later I get,"got cass and bec, can't find jess."

"she's the willow tree."

"O, thx. we're at the door now."

I race down the steps to the basement. Mom catches me and asks," Where are you going?"

Ugh, again the questions. I slap a smile on my face and reply,"Just getting a soda from the fridge in the bar in the basement."

I run down and climb up the steps and open the trapdoor. I can see Becca, Cassidy, Jess, and Emma.

"We can't go up there!" Emma says in an anguished whisper. "Your mother will see us!"

"I know," I answer. I root around the piles of junk in the storage areas and finally find what I'm looking for. A ladder. I hand it to them. "Meet me outside my bedroom window!" They scamper off.

I grab a soda and head upstaires. I open my window and one by one they climb up. When they all are up, we exhale and collapse on my bed. That was a lot of work.

Mom locked the door to the sewing room earlier today. Emma supplies me with paper, and I dream up a graceful sundress that ends just below the knees. I ponder, glancing at it.

"Should it be strapless?" I ask Becca.

"Nah," she replies, peering at it. "It looks fine, maybe just a little... I don't know. Drab, perhaps."

I nod and add a ribbon to the waist and a daisy to the shoulder of one side. Emma, Jess, and Cassidy are arranging the bolts of fabric I requested. I show the design to them.

"It's so pretty," Jess nearly swoons. "What color is it going to be?"

"Not sure," I admit. "It's very springtime, so maybe some pastels. "

I take a look at the bolts. I finally decide on a smooth lavender fabric and some yellow and white to make the daisy. I turn around and feel a jolt go through me. "But my sewing machine... it's in the room!"

"No prob," Cassidy dismisses. "You can hand sew it. We picked up a feww kits at the fabric store. "

I reluctantly take a kit and make the daisy. It's done in a matter of minutes.

"It's beautiful," Emma marvels. "Who's going to be modeling it?"

"You can," I tell her. "What's your size?"

She tells me and I jot it down. Then I scan the fabric and start cutting it, sewing it, and attatching the daisy to it. After about an hour, I'm done. I take a deep breath. That's the fastest I've ever sewed, and considering I didn't have the machine, that's got to be some world record.

"Oh, no," Becca says. "The ribbon."

Rats. The ribbon around the waist isn't done. I look up. "Did anyone get a ribbon?"

No one nodded. Then Jess brightens. "I've got one in my braid," she says. She pulls it out. It's sunshine yellow. "And I swear I don't have lice," she promises. I smile at her and thank her.

After I fit the ribbon around the waist, I shoo Emma inside my closet to change out of her ill-fitting jeans and hoodie. When she comes back, she looks magical. "Now for accesories," I deadpan.

"You have to make ACCESSORIES?" Cassidy says, dismayed. "This will never be done!"

I smack her. "No, silly. I just make the dress." I look around and find a pair of cute white flats. They're a little small for Emma, but she manages to squeeze into them. I hand her a pair of hoop earrings and a white purse.

"Cute, but the hair... it's awful," Becca says bluntly.

Emma shoots her a look.

I glare at Becca and lead Emma into the bathroom. Quiet, quiet, so Mom won't hear! I curl her hair and put it in a headband. We meet the other girls in the guest room, where the white walls will be perfect for the photo.

"Cass, did you bring your camera?" I ask. We're crowded onto the small twin beds. She nods, whipping it out.

Emma places her hands on her hips and grins sweetly at the camera. After a couple shots, Cassidy finishes, satisfied. "Wolfgang will adore it," Becca assures her.

I peer at the clock. Wow, it's five o'clock already! "You guys should probably leave," I tell them reluctantly. "Your parents would worry."

After they escape through the ladder, I pull it up and hide it in my closet. Then I sigh. Mom is making me do community service, helping out at the animal shelter. Not that I don't like seeing all the adorable cats and dogs... but I would much rather be designing. I dress in an old teeshirt and sweats. I race downsairs.

"Megs, have you seen Jess?" Mom asks frantically. "Shannon just called to say she's missing!"

My heart skips a beat. Of course, I know where Jess is. Probably on her way home right now on foot. But if they figured out, I would be in trouble. Bigtime.

"Uh... I think so," I stutter nervously. "She texted me and said she was coming back from the library."

Mom breaths thankfully. "Oh, my goodness, she's safe." She picks up the phone and dials the Delaney's.

When she's done, we hop into the car, ready for whatever comes our way. Even if it's just some cute little animals.

It's been almost a week now. Emma, Jess, and Becca are in my room, oohing and ahhing at my clothes. They've come by loyally everyday. I dressed Cassidy in a thick, cream colored dress with sparkles knit into the fabric. That was hard, but it turned out beautiful with silver boots. It's supposed to be for winter, and even Cassidy fell in love with it. We brushed her hair, and the photo was priceless.

Becca was dressed in a pair of black leggings that are supposed to look like velvet. I made a tank top out of bright pink polyester. It was long and ended above the knee, and Becca loved how feminine it was. It really gave the vibe," Biker Chick". With silver bangles and black converse, the outfit was to die for.

Jess was my favorite. I fitted her with a pale turquiose dress. It's shiny and strapless. It's long, and the folds are delicate but bold. The fabric gathers at the waist with a small fake diamond. Every breath was held when she posed elegently, because she was so... beautiful.

We hang the outfits in garment bags and package them inside a box to send to Flashlite. I already sent Wolfgang the photos and he responded with about 50 'fabouloses.' We send them away, and I forgot about that chapter of my life for a while.

Three weeks later, I arrived home from school, happy as can be. Tomorrow I will be FREE! This is my last day being grounded. I faltered as Mom, Dad, and Gigi glared at me.

"Uh oh," I whispered. They were holding a box.

"Wolfgang sent you these back," Gigi says. "Care to explain?"

And it all came gushing out of me. The dresses, the time span, the sneaking around.

Mom growls," You got all those girls to help you?"

"Yup," I squeak.

She storms off to tattle to the other parents.

Dad furiosly says," You are grounded for two months now, Megan. You disrespected us and defied us."

Then he left.

I'm left with Gigi. She took my hand and said," Megan, you should know better."

"I know," I mumble.

"But I am proud of you for following your passion. In the real world, that will do you a lot of good."

I lift my head and say," Really?"

"Yes."

We lean in for hugs, and at that moment, I don't care about what trouble I'll be in, I'm just glad I have Gigi.

Oh, my goodness. I am one of those people who doesn't update for months. I AM TERRIBLE. I'm so, so so so sorry. I hope you liked it, and next up is the Jarcy story, that will be up in a week, I PROMISE. Sneak peek... It's Jess's b-day, but someone special doesn't show!

Again, I am so sorry,

Cassie


End file.
